Gardening in Waitaki April 1st 2026

Autumn in the Oamaru public Gardens:

Easter again soon and day light saving again, Autumn is truly settling in now, a season of tidying, feeding the soil, and preparing the garden quietly for the months ahead. After a slow seasonal start caused by welcome autumn rains, trees are finally beginning to show their autumn colour. Gardens will be gently shifting pace now as growth slows and plants prepare for the dormant months ahead. While my Easter egg hunters are fewer these days as they become teenagers, there will still be a couple eagerly awaiting Nana’s Easter eggs, a reminder that some traditions never fade. Normally, at this time of year, we avoid encouraging too much new growth, allowing plants to harden before winter. However, coastal gardens can still carry lovely seasonal colour. With warmth still in the soil and moisture levels good, compost heaps should now be working efficiently. Stable and poultry manures contain most of the essential plant nutrients — particularly nitrogen, phosphate and potash, in a natural organic form. Not all plants require the same balance, however. Fresh animal manure can cause overly lush growth in legumes such as peas, beans and lupins due to excess nitrogen. Allowing manure to break down fully in the compost heap before use provides a more balanced nutrient supply. The only growth promotion needed before winter would be when planting plants to take you through the winter. Dried blood is High in nitrogen and is an easy way to replenish tired soil before planting those cool-season plants. Some plants dislike phosphate fertilisers altogether. Leucadendrons, proteas, banksias and ericas and callunas prefer a simple organic leaf mulch rather than garden fertilisers. Primula and viola clumps can now be lifted and divided to create new borders or fill gaps at the front of garden beds. Rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias will benefit from feeding with an acid fertiliser specially formulated for them, encouraging strong bud development for spring flowering. Continue deadheading dahlias until frost collapses the plants. Once blackened by frost, cut stems back carefully, ensuring thick hollow stems are not left open where rain can enter and rot the tubers. Dahlias sitting in wet soil after heavy rain are prone to rot, so lift and store tubers in a dry place at season’s end if drainage is poor. A topping of pea straw provides useful winter protection for those left in the ground. Autumn roses have suffered with recent rain. Remove rotting blooms but resist heavy pruning, as roses now need to set seed and harden their wood before winter. In warm, sheltered sunny spots, one final deadheading may still encourage a late flush of flowers. Lawns remain actively growing and grass clippings collected in full catchers make excellent mulch around the garden. New lawns sown now should germinate well while soil temperatures remain mild. Cover newly seeded or patched areas with netting or frost cloth to prevent birds from disturbing seed. vegetables: Spinach and snap peas can be sown now for cool-season harvests. Harvest pumpkins promptly and always leave the stalk attached to prevent rot during storage. Harvest pumpkins promptly and always leave the stalk attached to prevent rot during storage .Divide rhubarb crowns and replant into soil enriched with generous amounts of compost. fruit: Fruit continues to fall heavily from trees. Apples and quince and late peaches are plentiful, and after the recent rain it is an ideal time to repay fruit trees with applications of lime, manure, rock phosphate, liquid seaweed or vermi liquid around the root zone. Prune tamarillo trees hard once the last fruit has been picked. Staggered pruning can help stagger next season’s crop. Prepare strawberry beds by building soil levels with compost and mulch, removing old leaves and runners, and potting up only strong runners growing close to the mother plant to establish new fruiting plants or fill gaps. Cheers, Linda